1. A good name is better than perfumed oil, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

2. Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.

3. Grief is better than laughter, for sadness can improve a person.

4. The thoughts of the wise are in the house of mourning, but the thoughts of fools are in the house of pleasure.

5. It is better to hear the rebukes of the wise than to listen to the songs of fools.

6. For the laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot; this too is pointless.

7. But oppression can make a wise man stupid; also a gift can destroy understanding.

8. The end of something is better than its beginning, so the patient are better than the proud.

9. Don't be quick to get angry, for [[only]] fools nurse anger.

10. Don't ask why the old days were better than now, because that is a foolish question.

11. Wisdom is good, along with possessions, an advantage to all who see the sun.

12. For wisdom is a shelter, and money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom keeps the one who has it alive.

13. Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14. When things are going well, enjoy yourself; but when things are going badly, consider that God made the one alongside the other, so that people would learn nothing of their futures.

15. In my pointless life, I've seen everything- from the righteous person perishing in his uprightness to the wicked one who lives a long life and keeps on doing wrong.

16. So don't be overly righteous or overly wise; why should you disappoint yourself?

17. But don't be overly wicked, and don't be foolish; why should you die before your time?

18. Don't grasp just one of these rules; take hold of the other as well; for he who is in fear of God will live by both of them.

19. To a wise man wisdom is better protection than ten rulers in a city.

20. For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [[only]] good and never sins.